Apparatus for molding glass



Oct. 13, 1925. ww w A. P.- VOLLMAR APPARATUS FOR MOLDING GLASS Filed Aug. 27 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet [film/Ill!!! INVENTOR 11; Li 1;. a-:1? may ATTORNEY Oct. 13, 925. 1,557,504

A. F. VULLIMAR APPARATUS FOR MOLDING GLASS Filed Aug. 2'7, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MIMI INVENTOR 1 wdz 161/71 ATTO EY ALI-HERD VQLLMEAXR, @F IEUREEZST GLASS GEL, EH62, E? LGNG- ISLAND GITSZ", NEW YURK, A CQREURATIU'N 01E WEST VIRGINIA.

.MPARATUE FUR MQLBDIZING GLASS.

uppllcetion tiled August 27, 1921. Serial No. 436,625.

To all whom e't omg conceive:

Be it known that l, ALFRED l Vomit/in, a. citizen of the United States, and resident of Forest Hills, Iiong lsland, county of 65 Queens, and State of New York, have in vented certain new and useful. Improve- .ments in Apparatus for Molding Glass, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved to method or molding in glass and has for its primary object to provide a simple and inexpensive method for the molding of letters, numerals or other ornamental forms or characters in glass sheets or plates.

to In one embodiment of my invention a sheet of plastic glass is fed upon a moving teble in which a series or male die members are errenged and said table finally passing beneath a vertically moving frame carrying o a series of complementary female dies. The said frame is then lowered upon the sheet oi plastic glass whereby the impressions are formed therein by the die members. The male die members are then lowered in the table, the glass sheet stripped therefrom and transferred or conveyed directly into a lehr.

It is a further general object of the invention to provide a method for molding characters in glass whereby the molding 6 operation may be carried out in a. very expeditious manner and at less expense than in the use of methods heretofore employed, while at the same time, a final product of superior merit is obtained.

With the above and other objects in view -the invention consists in the improved niethod or molding characters in shaped glass which will be hereinafter more fully described and subsequently incorporated in the subjoined claim.

in the accompanying drawings wherein l have illustrated one embodiment of apparatus which may be advantageously employcd in carrying out the improved method and in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is aside elevation partly in section showing the initial step of the molding 59 operation,

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the upper die carrying frame lowered upon the glass sheet,

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section, the up- Figure 6 is a plan view of complementary male and female die members, and

Figure 7 is a sectional perspective View of a glass sheet as molded by my improved. method.

Heretofore, it has been the practice in the art to place the glass sheet on a mold in 79 which the letter, numeral or other churactiin has been engraved, and then heating the is in a soft or plastic sheet of glass until it condition. The air between the engraving and the glass is then forced out and the glass drops into the cavity of the engraving, thereby forming in relief on the surface of the glass the desired numeral or character. Another method which has been employed is to heatthe glass until it is plastic and then 80 force the same into the mold by compressed air or by means of a blow-pipe.

The prior art methods just referred to are more or less uncertain, laboriousend expensive and I propose by means of my present invention to eliminate such uncertainties and provide a method whereby the molding of ornamental characters in glass may be cirpeditiously performed without waste and in an accurate and reliable manner. F or the purpose of enabling his improved method to be readily understood, I have, in the accompanying drawings, illustrated a certain form of apparatus which might be employed, though it is understood that the drawings are merely illustrative as the upparatus in its structural features might be modified in various particulars as conditions may indicate to be necessary or desirable.

Upon a suitable supporting frame 5 a 190 1 table 6 is mounted for horizontal. rectilinear movement. 'llhe frame includes uprights T and between the uprights and above the plane of the table 6 a die carrying frame 9 is arranged. The uprights are provided with slots 10 to receive guide pins or stops 11 fixed in the frame 9. Any suitable means may be provided for importing a vertical movement to' the die carrying fran e 9 with respect to the table 6.

The table 6 is provided with a plurality of spaced openings 12, which, in the present instance, I have illustrated as of rectilinear form. A. male die member 13 is vertically movable in each of these openings and is guided by the Walls thereof. Any con-v venient means such as indicated at 14 in Figure 3 oi the drawings may be provided for the purpose oi vertically moving the die members l? in unison with respect to the table 6. Each of these die members upon this upper surface carries in relief the letter, numeral or other character indicated at 15 which is to be molded in the glass.

The vertically movable frame 9 has spaced recesses 1% in its lower face in each of which a female die member l'lis fixed, the lower face of each die member l"? having the character impression indicated at 18 therein in complemental relation to the character 15 01 an opposed the table.

lhe glass as shown at g is fed down- I wardly 'betvi'een rollers 19 in the form oi a plastic sheet upon the surface of thetable 6. Tue glass s in a suficently soft or plastic condition and oi sui'dcient thickness thatit will cover the relief characters 150 1 the male die members and closely lill the spaces formed thereby.

As the plastic sheet of glass is fed to the table 6 this table is progressively moved in the frame 5 as shown by the arrows in Figure 1 or" the drawings until the table is disposed entirely beneath the frame 9, at which time the feeding of the glass is discontinned. The frame 9 is now lowered and together with the die member 17 thereby exerts a compressing pressure upon the plastic sheet or glass. The glass sheet is thereby compressed to a uniform thickness as shown in nigure 3 and the characters on the male and female die members are molded therein. The clutch' then moves the frame 9 with the die member 17 upwardly and the die members 13 in the table are simultaneously lowered beneath the surface of said table to the position seen in Figure 3. The molded sheet of glass may now be rem J from. the table and conveyed or red intothe lehr for annealing and in the usual Way.

is member 13 sees poe- In Figure 7 of the dravvi have in connection with the accompanying dravs ings, the manner of operation of my improved glass molding method will be clearly understood. 1n the manner described, such ornamental glass sheets or plates may be very quickly and accurately molded. The

apparatus employed in carrying out this.

method is of relativel simple character, and admits of the practice of the method by unskilled workmen. Thus the manufacturing cost of the product may be reduced While at the same time uniformity and a high degree of accuracy in the final product is obtained.

l have herein described one preferable manner of producing my improved method, but it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of certain minor variations and l hereby reserve the privilege of resorting to all such is itimate changes as may be fairly embodiec within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

1 claim:

A machine for molding glass comprising a table mounted for; horizontal rectilinear movement adapted to receive a layer of soft or plastic glass as it is moved horizontally, said table having a plurality of spaced apertures, a vertically movable die mounted in each of said apertures, a vertically movable table carrying die members adapted to move downwardly into engagement with the upper surface of tlie layer of glass on the horizontal table when said horizontal table is positioned under said vertically movable table with the dies in the upper and lower tables in cooperating relationship and means for withdrawing the upper tables and dies and lowering the lower set of dies and permit the molded glass m rest on said horizontally movable table free from the die members.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my inventlon, and I have signed my 7 name hereunder.

ALFRED P. VOLLMAR. 

